Method of extracting or sorting combustible matter from refuse.



G. HIDOUX.

IE NORRIS PETERS CO. FHOTO-LITHO, WASHINGTON. D. C.

Patented June 8, 1915.

n s sra'rns GEORGES HIDOUX, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

METHOD OF EXTRACTING OR SORTING CQMBUSTIBLE MATTER FROM REFUSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1915.

Application filed March 19, 1914. a Serial No. 825,870.

clare the following to be'a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as to enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a method of and means for sorting orseparating house refuse into combustibleproducts and incombustibleproducts.

A method actually in use for utilizing house refuse consists inseparating by hand on sorting tables, the combustible matter (paper,rags, wood, vegetables, and so forth), from incombustible matter (brokenglass, chinaware, stones and so forth). The former are dried, ground andagglomerated so as to form combustible agglomerates while the latter aretransformed by special processes into artificial stones.

The invention relates to a method of mechanically sorting combustibleand incombustible matter, intended to replace the process of sorting byhand which is imperfect, costly and unhealthy.

' The invention is based on the following observations: Research hasdisclosed the fact that combustible matter (paper, rags, wood,vegetables), which is fibrous or resilient,

leaves regularly when passing through a grinder having cylinders, eitherflattened or disaggregated into filaments or comparatively long thickpieces, and that on the contrary, the inco-mbustible matter leaves thegrinders in the shape of more or' less large grains, the largestdiameter of which is nearly always less than the distance between thecylinders and seldom more than that distance plus one third thereof, andnever more than twice this distance. It follows that if the whole of thematter is gathered on a rocking fiat sieve the meshes of which i arewider than the distance .4 otWBGIl the cylinders and if this sieve isrocked then the separation of the combustible from incombustible matterwill be effected, for the former will be thrown toward the edges of thesieve and the latter will pass through the meshes.

l Therefore the process according to the invention, mainly consists,after having removed from the house refuse all objects of largedimensions not susceptible of being treated and after a disaggregationfollowed by an appropriate drying, in passing the said refuse through agrinder provided with cylinders and gathering it on a rocking fiat sievethe linear dimensions of the meshes of which are about twice thedistance between by means of this sieve the separation of thecombustible matter which is flattened but As it is possible that inpractice, during the first operation according to the process, smallbits of combustible matter may pass through the sieve together with theincombustible matter and that, consequently, the.

separation will not be perfect, then it will be necessary to effect oneor more operations subsequently with cylinders brought nearer and nearertogether and with sieves correspondingly finer and finer until thedesired degree of separation is effected, a result which will certainlybe attained because in these successive apparatus, the combustible andincombustible' matter will be always flattened and crushed according tothe same awe.

In the accompanying drawing, a commercially practicable method ofcarrying out the processis illustrated diagrammatically and by way ofexample.

The house refuse is discharged into a pit a where the sorting by handtakes place, that is to say, the removal of large objectswhich could notbe treated. The refuse thus freed from largeobjects is carried away fromthe pit a by a conveyor band taken to a conical separator 0 whichinsuresthe elimination of all the objects which are still cumbersome andare capable of obstructing the feeding hoppers of the followingapparatus. This separator comprises 'two cones which rotate in oppositedirections and possess a lineal speed higher at the base than at thepoint. Owing to this arrangement, objects which are too large are causedto slide along the faces of the cones and are eliminated in the knownway. Next to the conical separator there is an electromagnetic separator03 which retains all magnetizable objects; this magnetic separator d isfollowed by a (one or more) crusher f having a hammer and a relativelylarge grate (four centimeters) permitting of the disaggregation of thehouse refuse. A conveyer g conveys the disaggregated refuse to thedrying chamber 72, at the exit'of which it is carried, by means of theconveyer z to the drum which effects the elimination of those portionsof the material which are too large to pass between the cylinders, theseportions being returned to the crusher by a conveyer.

The remainder of the mixed combustible and incombustible matter is takenby a conveyer Z4 to a reducing grinder am having grooved or smoothcylinders which are, for example, 10 mm. apart and in all cases lessthan the bars of the grate of the hammer crusher, f are apart. Thisreducing grinder effects the flattening of the combustible matter andthe granulation of the incombustible matter. The whole of the matterleaving this grinder m is carried by a conveyer n onto a flat rockingsieve 0 the meshes of which are slightly larger than the distance thecylinders of the grinder m are apart, say 15 mm. The matter rejected bythis sieve, that is to say, not having passed through the meshes, isentirely combustible matter. This is discharged at 3) onto the conveyeror general discharge collector r of combustible matter.

The matter which has passed through the meshes of the sieve 0 will bemostly incombustible matter but it may still contain a certainproportion of combustible matter in a divided state. This sifted productis carried by a conveyer s to a second grinder t having its cylindersless apart than before, say 3 mm. In this grinder t the matter istreated according to the same law, that is to say, there will be arolling or flattening of the combustible matter and a finer grinding ofthe incombustible matter. The matter leaving this grinder is received bya conveyer M which carries it onto a second fiat rocking sieve 12 whichretains the combustible matter and allows the incombustible matter topass through its meshes. The former are discharged at 00 into thegeneral conveying collector r and the latter drop onto a dischargeconveyer 2 of incombustible matter. The matter passed to the last sieveu may evidently contain a small quantity of combustible fibroussubstances which are in the refuse in a pulverulent state before thetreatment, these fibrous substances may be removed by suction or blowingby means of a fan shown at to.

In order not to complicate the drawing, the mechanical transmission forthe operation of the various apparatus has been omitted. It is evidentthat this drawing shows an apparatus as an example; the distance whichthe cylinders of the grinders are apart may be altered and the number ofthe corresponding sieves may be modified according to needs. It ispossible to group several cylinders the spacing of which may beadjustable and several sieves with meshes of different size, combined asdesired, until the cylinders touch each other and until the finest sieveis used, the number of the successive purifying operations according tothe quality of house refuse to be treated and to the sorting perfectionwhich it is desired to obtain, provided the various oper ations areeffected in the indicated order.

The invention is adapted to the sorting of house refuse into combustiblematter and incombustible matter whatever the ulterior use of this mattermay be.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. A method of separating refuse consisting in handsorting the refuse, eliminating material exceeding a predetermined size,subjecting the remainder to magnetic separation, and then so grindingthe non-magnetizable material as to disintegrate the same and flattenthe particles of combustible matter and then screening the groundmixture.

2. A method of separating refuse consisting in so grinding the materialas to disintegrate the same then flattening the particles of combustiblematter then drying and re-grinding the same and finally screening theground mixture, as herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGES HIDOUX.

IVitnesses:

C. BAUMAN, CHAs. P. PREssLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

